Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for the selective separation of gaseous coal gasification products by pressure swing adsorption

US4696680A · kind A · utility

29Cited by
15References
13Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateOct 3, 1985
Grant dateSep 29, 1987
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 3, 2005

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY02P20/156
  • WIPO fieldChemical engineering
  • WIPO sectorChemistry

Abstract

Bulk separation of the gaseous components of multi-component gases provided by the gasification of coal including hydrogen, carbon monoxide, methane, and acid gases (carbon dioxide plus hydrogen sulfide) are selectively adsorbed by a pressure swing adsorption technique using activated carbon, zeolite or a combination thereof as the adsorbent. By charging a column containing the adsorbent with a gas mixture and pressurizing the column to a pressure sufficient to cause the adsorption of the gases and then reducing the partial pressure of the contents of the column, the gases are selectively and sequentially desorbed. Hydrogen, the least absorbable gas of the gaseous mixture, is the first gas to be desorbed and is removed from the column in a co-current direction followed by the carbon monoxide, hydrogen and methane. With the pressure in the column reduced to about atmospheric pressure the column is evacuated in a countercurrent direction to remove the acid gases from the column. The present invention is particularly advantageous as a producer of high parity hydrogen from gaseous products of coal gasification and as an acid gas scrubber.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.